Mr Merlin
by MsPercival
Summary: On Halloween, third-grade teacher, Mr. Merlin Evans, discusses Arthurian ideals with his students. Further, Merlin thwarts a Halloween crisis, and a new teacher pops into the classroom. Lots of fluff, a tiny bit of romance. One-shot. Modern AU.


On Halloween, Merlin Evans, third-grade teacher at Brecon Hollow Elementary School, closed the hefty storybook perched on his lap, and smiled down at his students seated on the bright blue carpet before him.

"Thus, the valiant King Arthur and his noble knights saved the day. The End."

"Awww!" the children chorused.

"We want more!" said little Leon with an eager grin. "I love hearing about the Knights of the Round Table!"

Gwaine leapt up, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "Please, Mr. Evans, can you please tell us another one? Please, please, please..." Gwaine hopped around in a circle on one foot, his unkempt, dark hair bouncing around his face. The other children laughed with delight at his antics.

While Gwaine had the tendency to be a little over-exuberant (and occasionally hyperactive), Merlin adored the child. The boy was an enthusiastic learner, always spirited and engaged. So what if he had a little more energy than most? When Merlin had read over Gwaine's previous teacher's notes, notes that proclaimed Gwaine was a "problem child," Merlin scoffed. Merlin didn't believe in problem children. Each student had unique needs, and it was his job as a teacher to figure out how to educate them effectively. Now that Gwaine had several extra breaks worked into the school day – breaks where he could stretch and bend, or run in place – he was doing wonderfully. Perhaps the issue had been a problem teacher.

"Please take a seat, Gwaine," said Merlin with practiced patience. This was Merlin's first full-time teaching job, but after almost two months in charge of a classroom full of twenty eight- and nine-year-olds, he'd learned to manage the children well.

And besides, Merlin was teaching his favorite part of the curriculum, the section about medieval times. He didn't blame his students for being excited; the tales of knights, nobles, and the legends of King Arthur thrilled him, too. Since he'd been named after the great wizard of Arthurian legend, how could he not love it?

Merlin's eyes scanned the student's faces. Some children were much shyer than others and needed to be prompted to offer their thoughts and opinions. Percy, the tallest boy in the third grade, sat at the edge of the carpet, peering down at his huge sneakers. Merlin noticed how the boy often crouched, as if trying to make himself appear smaller, to blend in with the others. But that wasn't possible, because at age nine, Percy was taller than most of the teachers. Merlin hoped his efforts to draw the young boy out of his shell would work. He wouldn't give up. The boy was bright and deserved to be heard.

"Percy, what did you think of the story?" asked Merlin.

Percy's eyes remained glued to his shoes. "I like how the knights are noble," said the boy softly, "and how they stand up for what's right no matter what. And how they help people who need it."

"Yeah!" said Gwaine, clambering over several children to reach Percy's side; he practically fell into Percy's lap while taking a seat. "I like that, too! And Percy would make a great knight because he's strong and could hold a REAL big sword and a HUGE shield!"

Gwaine dropped his arm around Percy's shoulders, and Percy gave a small smile, but never looked up. Perhaps a friendship was developing between the two boys. With the way Percy kept to himself, he could use a good friend.

"Yes, strength was important for a knight," said Merlin, "but what about being valiant? What does that mean?"

Morgan, a petite, smart girl with a curtain of long, blue-black hair raised her hand.

"Yes, Morgan?"

"Being valiant means being brave," she said, her voice more authoritative than childish.

"Yes, very true. Good job, Morgan." Merlin looked around at the other students. "And what about being noble? What does that mean? Leon, can you tell us?"

Leon nodded his head, his blond curls flopping into his eyes. "It means to be good and helpful, even when it's not easy to do. I think."

"Exactly," said Merlin with a smile.

Merlin glanced up at the clock. The lesson had run over, and they were going to have less time than he'd hoped for snack and for the children to change into Halloween costumes for their parade around the playground.

"All right, I'll need everyone's cooperation now. We don't have much time for snack and to get you into your costumes for the parade, so, quickly and quietly, please get your snacks and your costumes from your backpacks. Once you're done eating, clean up, and if you need help to get into your costume, let me know."

The children broke into excited chatter and raced for their bags. Within what seemed like moments, everyone had gobbled down their snacks, drunk their juice boxes, and rushed to get into costume. Merlin hoped that no one was wearing anything too elaborate this year. Last Halloween, when he'd been student teaching in a different school, one child had a centipede costume, and getting him dressed on-time had been a nightmare.

But as Merlin glanced around, he noticed no one's costume seemed too involved, and for that, he was grateful. He saw the usual: princesses, zombies, ghosts, vampires, skeletons, and plenty of cartoon characters and superheroes. Gwaine and Leon dressed as knights, as they said they would.

However, Percy sat at his desk, his hands folded, a sorrowful look on his face. And no costume.

 _Darn_ , Merlin thought. Why hadn't he considered this possibility? Percy always came to school clean, never bore bruises or marks, and always handed in his homework on time. Yet sometimes, Percy said he "forgot" his snack at home, or "forgot" his coat. Come to think of it, Percy hadn't worn a coat to school yet this year, and in the mornings, the temperature was often close to freezing. Merlin had to address this. Today. If Percy's family was struggling financially, there were resources to help. Merlin was sorry he hadn't realized it sooner.

"Percy." Merlin motioned for Percy to approach, and the boy, with tears welling up in his eyes, ambled to Merlin's desk.

In a flash of inspiration, Merlin stood up and undid his tie, then secured it around Percy's neck.

"What are you doing, Mr. Evans?" asked Percy, now more confused than upset.

"You are going to be a teacher for Halloween!" said Merlin. He then shoved his briefcase into Percy's hand, and stuck a red pen behind the boy's ear. To finish the ensemble, Merlin popped the lenses out of his (cheap) sunglasses and situated the empty frames on Percy's face.

"Now you look scholarly," said Merlin with a grin.

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but a quiet knock came at the classroom door. Merlin had been so distracted with settling Percy's last-minute costume, he hadn't noticed the handsome, young blonde man standing at the door.

"You can return to your seat, Percy," said Merlin, before turning his attention to the fit, square-jawed man in the doorway. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, sorry to interrupt. I'm the replacement teacher for Ms. Isolde. Today's my first day, and I thought this was my classroom."

Ms. Isolde, the other third-grade teacher, just had her baby yesterday, and planned to take leave for the rest of the school year.

Merlin chuckled and approached the door. "This is one heck of a day for you to start, with the Halloween parade and all. I feel for you." Merlin extended his hand in greeting. "Merlin Evans."

Arthur accepted the handshake and met it with a firm grip. "Did you say your name was Merlin?"

"Yes," replied Merlin with a good-natured sigh. He was used to people's reactions to his unusual name. "Named after the wizard himself."

"You'll never believe this, but my name's Arthur. Arthur Prentiss."

Merlin dropped Arthur's hand and let out a laugh. "You have GOT to be joking! Merlin and Arthur, third-grade teachers, teaching in side-by-side classrooms? What are the odds of that?"

"Slim," said Arthur with a hearty chuckle.

"Your room is right next door." Merlin pointed to a classroom only feet away. "The principal's been teaching since yesterday and she'll help you settle in. But any time you have questions, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Merlin." Arthur took a step back, but paused. "By the way, I saw what you did with that boy, setting him up with a costume. You care about your students. Not all teachers do."

Merlin studied Arthur's eyes, which were a bright, sky blue flecked with green. They radiated kindness, but competence as well. A hint of an appealing, woodsy cologne met Merlin's nose. Since Merlin had been busy finishing up his student teaching and graduate school, he hadn't been out on a date in over a year…

Wait, what was he thinking! This Arthur Prentiss was new to the school, a fellow teacher and colleague. Merlin was being silly. And besides, it wasn't proper to stare at this new teacher all doe-eyed; the man was probably married. Even so, Merlin took a quick glance down at Arthur's ring finger. It was bare.

"I should, ah, get back to the kids," said Merlin, blushing, feeling tongue tied for the first time in ages.

"Of course." Arthur flushed a fierce red.

 _Could that mean Arthur was interested_? Merlin shrugged off the vision of a late-night Halloween date with this handsome new teacher.

"See you at the parade!" Merlin called out as Arthur walked away.

Merlin made his way through the classroom, ensuring shoes were tied and costumes were secure. Morgan, wearing a vibrant red princess dress, grinned at him as he adjusted the plastic gold tiara on her head. She'd recently lost her two front teeth and her smile was particularly adorable.

"Percy looks like a real teacher," she said, giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" shouted Gwaine, zipping by, tripping over a desk leg because his vision was obscured by his plastic knight's mask. "Percy looks _awesome_!"

Tears of happiness burned the back of Merlin's eyes. These children were special; he couldn't imagine having such a strong connection with another group of youngsters. This was his first class, and these students would always hold a special place in his heart, no matter how many years he taught.

The principal's voice over the intercom attracted everyone's attention.

"Students and teachers, please line up for the parade. Happy Halloween!"

The moment the principal stopped speaking, the children let out a collective shriek of excitement (even Percy), and the masked Gwaine did a cartwheel, nearly kicking Leon in the head. Merlin told Gwaine to calm down.

"All right, my little ladies and gentlemen," said Merlin. "Let's quietly and calmly" – he cast Gwaine a sidelong glance – "line up out in the hallway."

Quietly, but not all that calmly, the children rushed out into the corridor. Merlin remained behind for a moment to turn off the classroom lights and push in chairs. Yet when he turned around, there stood Percy.

"Thank you," whispered Percy. The boy then threw his arms around Merlin. "You're the best teacher I've ever had."

Merlin patted Percy's back. "That means a lot, Percy. And you're a great kid. Come on," said Merlin, urging the boy out the door. "Let's go parade!"

"Percy, Percy, Percy!" Gwaine jumped up and down. "Come stand next to meeeee!"

With a huge smile on his face, Merlin led his students down the hallway and out into the crisp autumn afternoon.

It was shaping up to be a very good school year.

 **THE END**


End file.
